In years past, Utah would have been battling for the Western Conference past. With Karl Malone and John Stockton long since retired, they’re in the race for a far different honor: last place. Having dropped 8 of their last 9, the Jazz are neck and neck with the Lakers for the bottom of the conference. They’ve actually given the Spurs a couple of tough battles this season, with their size proving especially challenging. But, with the league’s worst defense, a repeat of Friday’s rout of L.A. isn’t out of the question for the Spurs.

Assessing the Jazz

If not for their mediocre rebounding, the Jazz would be in the bottom third in all of the four major categories on defense. They also rank among the worst in transition defense (15.4 fastbreak points, 27th) and interior defense (45.9 points in the paint, 27th). The Jazz are only slightly better on offense, placing 19th on 3-pointers (35.3 pct) and 23rd overall (44.3 pct). Their lack of offensive talent is embodied by Gordon Hayward, probably an ideal third option but miscast as a first in Utah. The team’s leading scorer, he shoots just 41 percent.

Key matchup

Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter have given the Spurs trouble before, and both are playing well despite their team’s poor form. Favors is averaging 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds over the past four games, while Kanter is averaging 14.3 points and 10.1 boards over the past seven. They could have a tougher time, despite moments of past success, against the Spurs tandem of Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter. With Duncan blocking 1.9 shots per and Splitter protecting the rim, the Spurs allow opponents to shoot just 57.3 pct in the restricted area.